this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2024
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For owls that are superb.
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It could be neck or chest contour feathers. The beginning of this video an ornithologist goes over a roadkill Barred Owl.
The most common causes of owl death are impact related (car/building) or poisoning, followed by starvation. Not much will hunt an owl, at least one as big as a Barred.
Most likely something found it dead or dying and took it off. Dog, cat, raccoon, etc. If it did die of poisoning, whatever ate it is poisoned now too. Newer rodent poisons aren't metabolized out like old ones, so as owls catch poisoned mice they eventually die of it. It's a huge problem.
If it is owl parts, I recommend leaving them, as it is illegal to kill raptors, and the burden of proof falls on you to prove you didn't kill it, not whoever is accusing you to prove you did it, the opposite of most crimes.
That's about all I got, I spend most of my time looking at them in one piece!
Thanks! This was on a trail way back in the woods. No one hunting out there so I figured he died naturally. Took some feathers, LOL, but at least I got a pic of the murder scene.
Just an FYI, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) prohibits the collection and possession of nearly all wild native bird parts--including naturally shed feathers-- without a permit in the US. There are a few exceptions, such as game birds and non-native species.
The MBTA has a very interesting history I've touched on before, and I specifically mentioned the burden of proof, because I think that was an ingenuous addition, otherwise enforcement would be near impossible.
Protected birds are essentially the joint property of the US and Canadian governments, so it's basically treated as you smuggling stolen military gear.
The penalties sound unreasonable to us now, but that's because they have deterred killing animals so effectively we no longer really grasp why the regulations were put in place to begin with.